THE

JOAN BAEZ

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mi;

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Sixty-Six Songs

comprising the

repertory of

America's best-

loved folksinger,

with historical-

musical

annotations.

Arrangements

for voice and

piano by

Elie Siegmeister,

with complete chord

progressions for

the guitarist

and capo-key

indications

enabling the

beginning

instrumentalist

to play along

with the

Joan Baez

recordings.

Illustrations in color by

Eric Von Schmidt.

Introduction by

Elie Siegmeister

and preface by

John M. Conly.

RYERSONMUSIC

PUBLISHERS,INC.

A DIVISION OFVANGUARD RECORDS

NEW YORK

Digitized by the Internet Archive

in 2010

http://www.archive.org/details/joanbaezsongbookOOsieg

The Joan Baez Songbook

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PHOTO/WILLIAM CLAXTON

THE

JOAN BAEZARRANGEMENTS AND INTRODUCTION BY

ELIE SIEGMEISTER

PREFACE BY JOHN M. CONLY

ILLUSTRATED BY ERIC VON SCHMIDT

EDITED BY MAYNARD SOLOMON

MUSIC EDITORS:

CHRISTA LANDON & JACK LOTHROP

RYERSON MUSIC PUBLISHERS, INC., N. Y.A DIVISION OF VANGUARD RECORDS

THE JOAN BAE2 SONGBOOKFIRST PRINTING, OCTOBER, 1964

SECOND PRINTING. DECEMBER, 1964THIRD PRINTING, JANUARY, 1965FOURTH PRINTING, JUNE, 1965

FIFTH PRINTING, SEPTEMBER, 1965SIXTH PRINTING. JANUARY, 1966SEVENTH PRINTING, JULY, 1966

EIGHTH PRINTING, NOVEMBER. 1966

COPYRIGHT 1964 BYRYERSON MUSIC PUBLISHERS, INC.

154 WEST 14th STREET, NEW YORK, N. Y. 10011LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

CATALOG CARD NUMBER 64-24388PRINTED IN

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INCLUDING THE RIGHT OFREPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART IN ANY FORMWITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION EXCEPT IN THE CASE

OF BRIEF QUOTATIONS EMBODIED IN CRITICALARTICLES AND REVIEWS.

ALL OF THE PIANO ARRANGEMENTS OF PUBLIC DOMAINSONGS ARE COPYRIGHT 1964 BY ELIE SIEGMEISTER

AND MAY NOT BE REPRINTED IN ANY FORMWITHOUT PERMISSION.

JOAN BAEZ MAKES NO COPYRIGHT CLAIM TO THEAUTHORSHIP OR ARRANGEMENT OF ANY OF THE

SONGS IN THIS BOOK.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We have made every effort to determine the copyright status of thesongs included herein. We wish to thank the publishers of thefollowing songs for permission to reprint their copyrighted material.This book could not have been prepared without their kindcooperation.

"The Tramp On The Street." Words and music by Grady andHazel Cole. Copyright 1940 and 1947 by Dixie Music Pub. Co.Copyright 1964 with new material by Dixie Music Pub. Co., 57Third Avenue, New York 3, N. Y.

"The Ranger's Command." Words and music by Woody Guthrie.Copyright 1963 by Ludlow Music, Inc., New York. N. Y. Used bypermission.

"We Shall Overcome." New words and music arrangement byZilphia Horton, Frank Hamilton, Guy Carawan and Pete Seeger.Copyright 1960 and 1963 by Ludlow Music, Inc., New York, N. Y.Used by permission. Royalties derived from this composition arebeing contributed to the Freedom Movement under the trusteeshipof the writers.

"Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream." Words and musicby Ed McCurdy. Copyright 1950 and 1955 by Almanac Music, Inc.,New York, N. Y. Used by permission.

"Copper Kettle" (or, "The Pale Moonlight"). Words and musicby Albert F. Beddoe. Copyright 1960 and 1963 by Melody Trails,Inc., New York, N. Y. Used by permission.

"Black Is The Color." By John Jacob Niles. Copyright 1936 and1963 by G. Schirmer, Inc., New York, N. Y. Reprinted by per-

"Where Have All The Flowers Gone." Words and music by PeterSeeger. Inspired by a passage from Mikhail Sholokhov's novel,

"And Quiet Flows the Don." Copyright 1961 by Fall River Music,Inc., New York, N. Y.

"Pretty Boy Floyd." Words and music by Woody Guthrie. Copy-right 1961 by Fall River Music, Inc., New York, N. Y.

"I Never Will Marry." Words and music by Fred Hellerman.Copyright 1958 by Sanga Music, Inc., New York, N. Y.

"Ten Thousand Miles" (or, "Fare Thee Well"). Words andmusic by David Gude. Copyright 1960 by Sanga Music, Inc., NewYork, N. Y.

"What Have They Done To The Rain." Words and music byMalvina Reynolds. Copyright 1962 by Schroder Music Co. Usedby permission.

"Long Black Veil." By Marijon Wilkins and vDanny Dill. Copy-right 1959 by Cedarwood Publishing Co., Inc., 815 16th Avenue,South, Nashville, Tenn. All rights reserved. International copyrightsecured.

"Donna Donna" (or "Dona, Dona"). Music by Sholom Secunda,words by Aaron Zeitlin. Copyright 1940 and 1963 by Mills Music,Inc. International copyright secured. Used by permission of thecopyright owner. English lyrics used in this book by Arthur Kevessand Teddi Schwartz, copyright 1956 by Hargail Music Press. Usedby permission.

"Portland Town." Words and music by Derroll Adams. Copy-right 1957 by Sing Out! Inc. Copyright assigned 1964 to RyersonMusic Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission.

"StewbalJ." By Robert Yellin, John Herald and Ralph Rinzler.Copyright 1961 and 1963 by Ryerson Music Publishers, Inc., NewYork, N. Y.

"Babe I'm Gonna Leave You." Words and music by Anne H.Bredonby assignment from Janet Smith. Copyright 1963 by Ryer-son Music Publishers, Inc. Used by permission.

"John Riley." By Bob Gibson and Ricky Neff. Copyright 1961by Sanga Music, Inc. and Harvard Music, Inc., New York, N. Y.Used by permission.

MUSICAL ANNOTATIONS BY KALMAN SELIGPRODUCTION SUPERVISOR / JULES HALFANT

DISTRIBUTED TO THE BOOK TRADE BYCROWN PUBLISHERS, INC.

DISTRIBUTED TO THE MUSIC TRADE BYCONSOLIDATED MUSIC PUBLISHERS, INC.

TO MY MOTHER AND FATHERWITH LOVE,

-JOANIE

Joan Baez

John M.Conly

The paramount fact about Joan Baez is beauty. She has it;she generates it; and she uses it. Lest this seem rhapsodical,be it admitted that she is a human being, with impulses, frail-ties, and foibles, perhaps even a little young wickedness. Butthe gospel is beauty.

So is the person, and not only vocally. Were it her wish, shecould easily produce the same sort of visual impact as did,say, Audrey Hepburn at the same age. At close view, sheseems contrived of a sort of dark sunlight. The skin was madeto consort with bright colors; the dusk of the long hair is likea shadow in a canyon. The eyes are a deep topaze, verysteady. The face is slender, strong, aquiline, and secret. Thereis a slight sardonic curl to her lips, even at rest; it is a lovelymouth but not peaceful. Even silently, it speaks of a world shemay want to love, but has trouble liking.

Plainly she has no desire to appear a conventional beauty.Indeed, she dresses against any such possibility. Her admirerswaggishly advert to her concert costumes as gunny sacks.They aren't, quite, but they are commonly handwoven garb,purposely shapeless, so that she seems almost a twig-leggedwaif, a grown-up Little Match Girl, in the spotlight. Offstageshe is not in the least twiggy. She has a fine, lithe dancer'sbody. One has the impression that she would fence very well(as, metaphorically, against the everyday world, she does).She is vividly alert.

She is a personage, of which she is aware. Or, rather, per-haps, she may think of herself as a purpose, of which she hasbeen given charge whether she wants it or not. She is con-scious of her image. At an artist's studio, during the prepara-tion of this book, she idly moved behind his drawing boardand, half-doodling, sketched a picture (she draws very welland quickly). It was a Joan Baez. More to the point, it was astylized Joan Baez, with tresses flowing forward over theshoulders, a young mystery. This is her image, and do notread the word in the Madison Avenue sense. It is not an imageshe created for any public; it is truly the image she has found,thus far, looking for Joan Baez. She offers it honestly.

She offers it, also, with love. Love and beauty are indivisiblein her singing, her living, her view of the world. There is con-summate musicality in her art, but the word seems to troubleher, and she would rather call it loving.

Here we come to a dichotomy. Joan Baez is not two persons,but she has two aspects, both important. For one thing, hereis a truly lucent voice, vital and lofting, with a timbre that is aresistless distillate of poignancy and pure thrill. She can sing"Copper Kettle," a boozy ditty of rustic laziness, in a way tomake it search souls, almost incredibly. This is a natural gift,a built-in concord of brain and vocal cords, that will neverleave her. It is plain musicality, and would work with or withoutloving.

Besides this, and not apart from it, is Joan Baez, 23, a youngwoman grown suddenly consequential to a whole sector of

today's humanity, by reason of her beauty in another way,i.e., what she does with it.

Joan Baez has no wish to be a leader, an emblem, or a spokes-man, and she is none. She is rather, an object, a focus offeelings; and, actively, one who tends with tenderness. Sheis part of a sort of elite corps of today's young. They haveemerged from childhood into a world which seems to themdisorganized to the point of dreadfulness, almost beyondgrasp or hope. They are not beatniks nor even Angry YoungMen; they are too thoughtful and humane for that. They are atonce responsible and baffled. And, in very dubious battle, theyneed consolidation, they need emotional focus, and they sore-ly need comfortthe ultimate, unbreakable comfort that isfound only in beauty and simplicity.

She says of them, not excluding herself: "They have to findout who they are, what they are, before they can do anything."Their tastes distinguish them (though this can be oversimpli-fied). They read J. D. Salinger; the poetry of Allen Ginsberg;in some cases the suspirative science-fantasy of Ray Brad-bury; and William Golding's The Lord of the Flies. Some ofthem have sat through David and Lisa twice. And they havegravitated en masse to folk music, and their favorite is JoanBaez.

This is natural; she is for what she is perfection, and theyare perfectionists. There is not an ounce of compromisein them. They want a better world; that is that. An odd side-light of this (to their elders, one of whom is writing this), is thatit would seem to be, this ideal world, altogether young. Onehas the feeling that they so distrust today's elders, for whatthey have done, or not done, that they do not even want tothink of themselves at fifty or sixty, or perhaps as being fifty orsixty. Perhaps it would not be a bad thing for the world, atthat, if some of the feelings of twenty-two could last a wholelifetime.

At that, their demands aren't exorbitant, at least Joan's aren't.When asked (offhand and unfairly) what she would do tobring about the better world, she said simply: "End war,and let the people involved with it go to some useful work."And added wryly: "Including picketers and folksingers!"

It is probably wrong to call her a folksinger. She is a singer,mainly of folk songs, because she loves them. As she singsthem, however, they are (what critics call) art-songs; there islittle genre flavor. To her they are at their best when mostbeautiful, refined and intelligible. This is a principle sharedwith her, almost uniquely, by Richard Dyer-Bennet. The differ-ence is that a Dyer-Bennet evening is historical; the listeneris transported, with familiar ease, to other times and climes.With Joan Baez, history happens now. The identification isbrought to the listener, he needn't go after it. The translationis complete. An ethnically-minded folklorist said once of herthat she can make any song sound as if it were being sung byJoan Baez. What this acid wit missed was the point. Joan Baez

remains Joan Baez. When character-identification in a song isnot possibleas in the pirate chronicle, "Henry Martin"shebecomes Joan Baez, musical story-teller.

Joan Baez is of Mexican and Scottish-Irish parentage, andher father is a rather noted scientist and educator. She haslived in a number of places, mostly cities, and has been ex-posed to all the education she wanted. However, folk songwas her own discovery, in her late teens (remember, she isprecocious). Patently it filled a want in her. She has not saidthis, but her work shows it (as does this book): it offered hera sort of kinship with the continuing "condition humaine," thechangeless part of man's nature; the sensitivity, humor, brav-ery, acceptance, and shrewdness that have sustained our kindin all ages and quarters of the worldand which we need now.

Joan Baez has purveyed this, beautifully, with her voice andher presence. Now she continues the effort with this book. Itwould seem highly likely that anyone who buys this book al-ready owns at least one Joan Baez record. Anyone whodoesn't: buy one. However, do not try to imitate her singing.In the first place, you can't. In the second place, that is notwhat she offers this book for. You are supposed to discoveryour own way into the songs, as she did. It should be a lovelyadventure.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTSJOAN BAEZ, by JOHN M. CONLYFOLK MUSIC: THE LONG VIEW,

by ELIE SIEGMEISTER 13

FOR THE GUITARIST 16ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS 17I. LYRICS AND LAMENTS 19Wagoner's Lad 20

Man of Constant Sorrow 22 W^Lady Mary 24

The Water is Wide 26Black is the Color 28

Once I Had a Sweetheart 31

I Never Will Marry 34

East Virginia 36

I Once Loved a Boy 38Queen of Hearts 40Fare Thee Well 42 W^

Come All Ye Fair and Tender Maidens 44II. CHILD BALLADS 47Geordie 48

Henry Martin 50 *

Mary Hamilton 53

Silkie 56

Barbara Allen 58

The Unquiet Grave 60The Cherry Tree Carol 62

Lady Gay 64House Carpenter 66

Matty Groves 68

III. BROADSIDE BALLADS 71Once I Knew a Pretty Girl 72

Silver Dagger 75 ^^

The Trees They Do Grow High 78

Jackaroe 80

Stewball 82

Rake and Rambling Boy 84

Fennario 86

John Riley 89 \/Willie Moore 92

Railroad Boy 94

lS

Table

of

Contents

10

Table

of

Contents

96

101

102

104

106

108

110

113

114

116

118

120

122

125

126

130

132

134

138

140

142

144

146

148

150

153

154

156

159

162

164

167

170

174

178

180

182

185

186

188

The Lily of the WestIV. AMERICAN BALLADS AND SONGS

Banks of the OhioyRambler Gambler

House of the Rising Sun

Ranger's CommandLong Black Veil

Railroad Bill

Pretty Boy Floyd

Copper Kettle

\S

Wildwood Flower '

'

Lonesome Road

Old Blue

V. HYMNS, SPIRITUALS AND LULLABIESAll My Trials

KumbayaHallowed Be Thy Name

Twelve Gates to the City

Virgin Mary

We Are Crossing Jordan RiverSomebody Got Lost in a Storm

We Shall OvercomeHush Little Baby

Battle Hymn of the Republic

Amazing GraceVI. MODERN AND COMPOSED SONGS

Portland Town

Danger Waters

Where Have All the Flowers GoneThe Tramp on the Street

Three Fishers

Donna Donna

What Have They Done to the Rain?

Annabel Lee

Babe I'm Gonna Leave YouLast Night I Had the Strangest Dream \

Plaisir d'AmourTHE JOAN BAEZ RECORDINGS

INDEX OF TITLESINDEX OF FIRST LINES

11

12

Folk Music:The

LongView

byElie

Siegmeister

A long time ago, when I first became interested in Americanfolk music, my friends considered it an eccentricity. I hadstudied conducting at the Juilliard School for several yearsand had come to a trusted advisor with the idea that I wouldmake my conducting debut leading a group of singers in anevening of American folk music at Town Hall.

"American folk music," my friend said with compassion, "Whowould come to hear it?"

Nowadays one cannot set foot in a high school lunch roomanywhere in these states without hearing the twanging guitarof the local Burl Ives, nor visit a cafe anywhere in Europe with-out being aware of an American cowboy song or a blues com-ing over the radio in Swedish, Dutch, or Italian, of course.

What accounts for this astonishing growth of a new musicin the short space of a single generation or, more accurate-ly, of the rebirth of a centuries-old music just when it was aboutto die out?

The answer is not simple, but among other things, in the1930's and '40's, there were the New Deal and the anti-fascistwar movements that awakened the humane instincts of allof us. In a period when millions were deprived, disinherited,and then destroyed, there was a need for an affirmation ofthings basically human. It was a time when intellectual peoplefelt drawn to a commonality with others whose lives and rightswere threatened with extinction. I remember vividly the ex-citement of such expressions as Marc Blitzstein's Cradle WillRock, Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, Steinbeck's Grapes ofWrath, the Federal Theater's Living Newspapers.

The discovery of folk music by a generation of young musi-cians and composers was more than another fad it openedup a new meaning for American music as a whole. For nowthose of us who were just starting out could feel part of a richtradition; we could feel like new branches on an old tree

and this strengthened us. The need for roots that every artistsenses sooner or later was particularly strong at that time;

many of us knew we could be more ourselves in an Americanlanguage than in one fathered in Paris, Vienna, or Berlin.

When, therefore, I first met Aunt Molly Jackson, the timewas ripe; I was enchanted by her at once. It was after one ofthose concerts organized by a few indigent musicans callingourselves The Young Composers Group, at the New School,New York, early in 1933. The program notes proclaimed boldlythat we were the start of a new American music (as all pro-gram notes of such groups do and should do). After theconcert, our relatives, who comprised the majority of the audi-ence, came back to congratulate us; but among them was thisstrange, raggedy woman with a hawk-like face: she came rightup to me and said "You think you are writing American music did you ever hear any real American music?" After tradinga few insults, we each became fascinated by the ideas of theother. Result: Aunt Molly asked me if I would care to writedown some of the few hundred songs she had "composed,"

13

and I said I would.

I did.

I was but one of many composers who responded to thecurrents of the time. In the early '30s we all knew of the great

work of Charles Ives, then something of a legendary figure,

but nonetheless a mighty pioneer in the use of folk material.

His "Charlie Rutlage," "General Booth Enters Heaven," his

Violin and Piano Sonatas, his Concord Sonata for Piano

loomed as brilliant and imaginative evocations of American

life, with fragments of minstrel songs, ragtime, folk music, and

jazz interwoven into their complex fabric. Henry Cowell and

Charles Seeger were preaching the folk music gospel at the

New School. John Lomax, Alan Lomax, Ben Botkin, and otherswere out in the field collecting hundreds of recordings for the

Library of Congress. Virgil Thomson wrote one of the first

movie scores using the folk idiom, The Plough That Broke

the Plains. In addition to young men such as Jerome Moross,

Alex North, and myself, members of the "arrived" generationof Douglas Moore and Aaron Copland were making rich use

of the ballad and cowboy idiom in movie, theater, and ballet

scores.

My greatest adventure with folk music came in the early

forties when simultaneously I conducted concerts of the

American Ballad Singers, wrote a score for the first folk musi-

cal to appear on Broadway, Sing Out Sweet Land, and com-

posed Ozark Set.

Among the strongest folk musicians then beginning to beheard around in village cafes, anti-Nazi and pro-Spanish loyal-

ist meetings were Josh White, Woody Guthrie, The AlmanacSingers, Burl Ives, and of course, Leadbelly. After a certain

amount of exposure, it was inevitable that a bit of audience

appeal crept into the performances of some, but Leadbelly

was solid as a rock. He neither could nor would be moved to

do anything other than sing his repertory exactly as he always

had sung it: deadpan, with a gravelly voice that was beautiful,

and a guitar rhythm that shook the walls.

Gradually the folk music movement spread out. New per-formers came on the scene: Pete Seeger, Oscar Brand, Jean

Ritchie, The Weavers, Tom Scott, and many others. Collec-

tions and books have come off the presses each year: after

the pioneering works of Cecil Sharp and John Lomax, there

appeared the Carl Sandburg book, those of Alan Lomax, Ben

Botkin, Lawrence Gellert, John Jacob Niles, Olin Downes'

and my own Treasury of American Song and dozens and

dozens more.

The influence of folk music on American composers did not

originate yesterday. There is more than a trace of folk rhythms

and song patterns in many choruses of William Billings, a con-

temporary of Paul Revere and Samuel Adams. In the mid-

1800's it was not only Stephen Foster, Daniel Emmett, Cool

White, and other minstrel song-writers who revealed the in-fluences of folk syncopation and melodic inflections; there

14

was that picaresque character, Louis Gottschalk, whose pianopieces show that the tango, rhumba, and ragtime beats date

back more than a hundred years.

But the most marked change came with Ives at the turn of

the century and, more than thirty years later, with the NewDeal generation of Gershwin, Thomson, Copland, Blitzstein,

Moore, Gould, Moross, North, and myself among others. It

was not an accident that American music - like French, Ger-

man, Russian, Hungarian music before ittook on distinctive

character and emerged on the world scene at the very momentthat the life-blood of folk music entered the art of serious com-

posers. American sonatas, symphonies, operas, theater and

ballet scores sprang to life at the same time as folk music

was winning wide recognition as a native art.

In recent years this trend took another turn. The Cold Warcreated a new phenomenon: Cold Art. The feelings of enthu-

siasm and faith in an ideal that moved many artists in the years1930-45 gradually fell away, and were replaced by a deepunbelief, a corrosion of feeling, a shying away of one humanbeing from another. Two quite contradictory effects emerged:

the loss of interest in folk music by serious musicians, and

the enormous growth of interest in it by the people as a whole.

In the post-World War II period there arose the deep need for

a human affirmation in a time of anxiety. Without a clear ideal

of life, the young people of our time have turned to the uni-

versal expression that is folk music.

The elemental themes represented by the songs in this col-

lection, ranging from old Child Ballads, newer Anglo-American

ballads, mountain love songs, country and western tunes,

hymns and Spirituals and topical songs of today bring thesinger and listener closer to the sources of American music:the spontaneous creation of many generations of the plain

people of our country.

The eagerness of vast numbers of folk music enthusiasts tosing and play these songs is evidence of a reaction against

the passivity induced by ready-made entertainment. The veryroughness of folk performance speaks as a bulwark against

the slickness of pre-fabricated commercial art. It affirms a

desire to participate actively once more in the expression of

a genuine and meaningful human experience. Perhaps it isa precursor of a similar swing of the pendulum among our

serious musicians who have turned this way and that, and whomay once again note the musical voice of our own time and

people.

15

The chord progressions indicated above the music are thechords as they sound in the key in which the arrangement iswritten. Following these are chords in parentheses which arethe chords actually played when a capo is used to avoid themore difficult bar chords.

For the guitarist who wishes to play along with the JoanBaez recordings, which are often in different keys than thekeys of the piano arrangements, we have supplied a legendabove each song, as for example:

Key: E Capo: 4th Play: CThis means that Joan Baez sings this song in the key of E; thatthe capo is to be placed at the 4th fret; that the player is tofinger the chords as if they were in C, but that they will ac-tually sound in E.

Occasionally, the harmony of the piano arrangement differsfrom Joan Baez' guitar accompaniment. In these cases, Joan'sharmony is indicated by a footnote, so that the pianist whowishes to observe her original chord progressions can do so.The editors have refrained from suggesting any "picking"styles, preferring to leave that choice up to the guitarist.

Forthe

Guitarist

16

Aboutthe

Contributors

Elie Siegmeister, born in New York City in 1909, is a distin-guished American composer who, throughout his career, hasbeen interested in American folk music both in its originalform and as source material for musical composition in largerforms. Among his achievements in this area are the Broad-way musical, "Sing Out Sweet Land"; "Ozark Set", whichwas performed by major symphony orchestras and recordedby Dimitri Mitropoulos; and "Western Suite", which was pre-miered by Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony in 1945.Siegmeister has also attained distinction in the fields of ab-solute music and vocal works on tragic themes. His long listof compositions includes three symphonies, two string quar-tets, violin and piano sonatas, "A Strange Funeral in Brad-dock" and a full-length opera based on Sean O'Casey's "ThePlough and the Stars."

Eric von Schmidt has been active as a painter, graphic artistand illustrator for almost fifteen years. He was awarded aFulbright to Italy in 1955-6, and has given seven one-manshows of his paintings. As a folksinger, he has become amajor figure in the blues revival, and has recorded for Folk-ways Records and Prestige Folklore. It was as a folksingerthat he first met Joan Baez when she was beginning her ca-reer in Cambridge in 1958-9, and the illustrations for thisbook are the result of their long friendship. Von Schmidt hastwo daughters, Caitlin and Megan, and has recently begun towrite as well as illustrate books for young people. The firsttwo, "Come for to Sing" and "The Young Man Who Wouldn'tHoe Corn", will soon be followed by "The Ballad of Bad BenBilge."

John Marsland Conly was born in Manhattan to a pair ofnewspaper people who had started as English teachers. Atthe age of eleven, he recalls, he was a fairly reliable authority

on the fauna of the Mesozoic Era, meaning mainly dinosaurs.At fifteen he was a promising painter. He moved briefly intothe field of scholarship and taught history at the Universityof Rochester for one year. He could not keep away fromtypewriters, however, a family failing. In 1940 he went to work

for the New York Herald Tribune. Since then he has been insuccession a police reporter, a science columnist, music ed-itor of The Atlantic Monthly and editor of High Fidelity. Conlyis now, at the age of fifty, a free lance writer. He contributesan intermittent column to The Reporter and is working onthree books at once.

17

18

LYRICSANDLAMENTSFolksongs generally can be classified into two groups;

ballads (narrative folksongs) and lyrics (emotive non-

narrative songs). The two species are not as distinctly

separate as one might believe, however, for many

lyric folksongs have derived wholly from ballads.

When most of the narrative details are sheared awayfrom ballads what remains is the emotional core,

the essence to be found in many of the best lyric

folksongs

The verses of this lyric dialogue from the Appalachians may once havebeen part of a ballad, but all that remains is a comment on frustratedlove. Such lines are frequently found in combination with other equallybeautiful ones (see for example those of "Rambler Gambler"), thoughthey lose little in isolation as witnessed by the five short verses of thispiece. Joan Baez sings it without accompaniment.

Wagoner'sLad

Moderately

Bb

^ =r^3hard is th. for tune of all wom - an

^>S t I ^ ^-^~&_P

tDm Bl.

J- 'J. " ' Jkind,. She's al - ways con trol - led,. She's

i fedE323? T* f3 f*^^ P

20

IAm Dm Gm

Z*F1 i i J m\] - ways con - fined, Con - trolled by her par - ents_

m ^ wm m^mr rr-r r r -r

9fee -- Gm

til she's a wife,

.

m ^=^ i i ^-9-=r r r -r r

s i P

S^Dm Bb Bl> F

J J i- ' J- slave to her bus - band the rest of her life.

i(o)

? t* S

^m i^9S*-5-"Oh, your horses are hungry,

go feed them some hay,

Then sit down here by me,as long as you may."

"My horses ain't hungry,they won't eat your hay,

So fare thee well darlin',

I'll be on my way."

"Oh, your wagon needs greasing,your whip is to mend,

Then sit down here by me,as long as you can."

"My wagon is greasy,my whip's in my hand,

So fare thee well darlin',

no longer to stand."

3.

21

Oh, I'm just a poor girl,

my fortune is sad,

I've always been courtedby the wagoner's lad,

He's courted me daily,

by night and by day,And now he is loading

and going away.

Oh, my parents don't like him,because he is poor,

They say he's not worthyof entering my door,

He works for a living,

his money's his own,

And if they don't like it,they can leave him alone.

This sorrowful cry of a lonesome man has been found in various parts ofthe southern mountains. Its verses consist of a series of variations on athemea heart-rending one at that. Occasionally the first line reads "Iam a maid

. .

." or "I am a girl . . . ," but even without the change in sexthe song sings well by women.

KEY: C CAPO: NONE PLAY: C

Man ofConstantSorrow

Moderately slow

G(G.efc)

$ i J-- J: ji I 11 am a

m E5 PPof con-starit sor- row, And I've seen

m Wnip

mv t - rrf

*

Am

J' J' Ji h

Dm

trou bles all my days. j> a i

I'll bid fare -

Wr^~r^ i daT^ L^ L-U I

i i

CJ-r^rjp v

22

IAm

J> J> ]> J)

Dm//r.sr ami others ' Zi.stf ri/iir

Dm

hJ> J 1 Jil l/7S

5

was born and raised. .2. All through this raised..

m^T\

r^^ ^

fmmcJj 4^-~cJ^ !H cm ^Tp t2. All through this world I'm bound to ramble,

Through sun and wind and driving rain,I'm bound to ride the Northern Railway,Perhaps I'll take the very next train.

3. Your friends may think that I'm a stranger,My face you'll never see no more,There is a promise that is given,I'll see you on God's golden shore.

4. I always thought I had seen troubleNow I know it's common runI'll hang my head and weep in sorrowJust to think on what you've done.

5. And when I'm in some lonesome hour,And I am feeling all alone,I'll weep the briny tears of sorrowAnd think of you so far a-gone.

6. Oh, I'm a man of constant sorrow, etc.

23

The text of this song has an Elizabethan ring to it, but it comes from theOzark Mountains where Vance Randolph collected it from May KennedyMcCord. One would think that such an exquisite text and tune would befound more widely in tradition, but to date no other version of this lyrichas turned up on either side of the Atlantic.

Lady Mary

KEY: Ctt CAPO: 4TH PLAY: A

Slow

He

D(A) A7 (E)

I J. JD(A)

^^ Pcame from his pal -ace grand,.

m i *He

m^m rf* T rrr rr*mw* p #

iA7 (E) D(A)

J) J) 1 5 !

came to my cot tage door.

i BHis words were

f fTTJ Ta

ffc=j=4 ->-J-4

fe^ ? f=

D(A) **Q(A) A7 (E)M J'Ji l JJ D(A)1few, but his looks. will lin-ger for - ev er

^PJPgf? H^F J p5I

"As performed: A7 (E).**As performed: D(A).

24

G(D) D(A)

G(D) D(A)

pt r r i r r r ^ten-der than words could be,

=But I.

A'(E)

1was noth-ing to _

There in her garden she stands,

All dressed in fine satin and lace,Lady Mary so cold and so strange,Who finds in his heart no place.

He knew I would be his bride,With a kiss for a lifetime fee,But I was nothing to him,

And he was the world to me.

And now in his palace grand,On a flower strewn bed he lies,His beautiful lids are closed,

O'er his sad dark beautiful eyes.

And among the mourners who mourn,Why should I a mourner be?For I was nothing to him,

And he was the world to me.

25

Originally part of a long Scots ballad, "Lord Jamie Douglas," all thatremains are these few verses which constitute the emotional core of thatballad. Most singers know it in another form as "Waly, Waly," by whichtitle it was known as far back as the early 18th century. It remains oneof the most beautiful and evocative of all British lyric folksongs.

KEY: F CAPO: 1ST PLAY: E

TheWater

is

Wide

GentlyF(E) Bb(A) F(E)

n J' J> j J) i ,1._

J' J> j* j) j^f ^The wat - er is

3

wide, I can-not get o'er,

I b a Jn_jjNeith-er

a W*=JP f- 1 nti f mDm(C#n Gm(F}tm) Am(Gjfm)

^-u ^ O^llMC?(B 7 )

26

I leaned my back against an oak,Thinking it was a mighty tree,

But first it bent and then it broke,

So did my love prove false to me.

3. I put my hand in some soft bush,Thinking the sweetest flower to find,I pricked my finger to the bone,And left the sweetest flower behind.

4. Oh, love is handsome and love is kind,Gay as a jewel when it is new,But love grows old and waxes cold,

And fades away like morning dew.

The water is wide, I cannot get o'er, etc.

No more beautiful and simple folk lyric exists than the short verses of thispiece. Known in various parts of the Southern Appalachians, its fame hasbeen spread to the corners of the world in the fine versions of JeanRitchie and John Jacob Niles. What many poets have taken hundreds oflines to say, the unknown folk composer of this song has been able tocapsule in two short verses. The tune for this version is the work of JohnJacob Niles.

Black isthe Color

KEY: En MINOR CAPO: NONE; GUITAR TUNED DOWN Vi TONE PLAY: E MINOR

Moderate]y slowEmfEm-Fi)

m j- j J' J* j>.s m-v- f-is the co - lor

.

Black, black, black

' J *S

of my

w i> J. J j j^V

Wf.l J > im

iD(D) Em(Em + F#)

3=5 f32 alove'strue

tft

X5hair. His lips.

^^m

B5fe

t*= m

Am(Am + D)J Ji J> m

p j; J p r_ are some -thing won - d'rous fair,- The

28

m %Em(Gthcn Em + F#)

E^5F F f |!

pur est eyes and the brav

3.

I 2=5 hands,

.

i*

8t

I love

.

^

i

the

*

IAm(Am + D)

ground

.

^^&

where - on.

ZBC 3Ehe stands.

T=^ ^TT~

^Tf~

Coda, Em(Em + F(!)

29

[^T^-

This is another lyric of frustrated love, several of its verses being tradi-

tionally found in combination with other lines. The dream verses (2 and

3) have the ring of art poetry to them, and may be a fairly recent accretion

to the song.

KEY: Bb CAPO: 1ST PLAY: A

OnceI Had a

Sweetheart

pLively, lightly

B(A) B(A) A(G)

m j) j. j3=r 3^=^Once I had a sweet-heart, and

IUs s3EEE3E,OJ. J'

"/JO

as g jjj f^TO zj.r

^^ =*L--

f= r

A J * E(D1 B(A) 3= ^^now_ I have none, Onre I had

v jtt^j i nj, j>r '/ ;>

g^fea 5t S ^ -* -1

^

fr

^F#m(G) E(D) B(A)

ff^S ^ 3=fc sweet-heart, and now_ I have none, He's

gone_ leave me, He's gone

*fe m i.-~* fr r

w^ i ^r*-

5 rAs performed: A(G).

r32

B(A) ten.

I first and otfut

Plast

rit. Ol=tf % m2. Last

**

r>

1nt.

fa^h>

:

tf> J J J J J n^rrn i

Last night in sweet slumber I dreamed I did see,Last night in sweet slumber I dreamed I did see,My own precious jewel sat smiling by me,My own precious jewel sat smiling by me.

3. And when I awakened I found it not so,And when I awakened I found it not so,My eyes like some fountain with tears overflow,My eyes like some fountain with tears overflow.

4. I'll venture through England, through France and through Spain,I'll venture through England, through France and through Spain,

All my life I will venture the watery main,All my life I will venture the watery main.

5. Once I had a sweetheart, etc.

33

The refrain of this song is usually part of a British broadside balladknown in America as "Down By the Sea Shore" (Laws K 17). The verses,too, are, for the most part, widespread folk commonplaces. The unusualcombination of the two, mainly the effort of Fred Hellerman, makes foran enchanting lyric on the theme of frustrated love.

KEY: D CAPO: NONE PLAY: D

I NeverWill

Marry

ModeratelyD(0,etc.) A A7 D D 7

G D

1 1A7 &) -

3E3ES

All the days of my life.

mpp

$

m19-=-

(O)

frr=-

Fine

34

D A7 D

f ~othing,

^#Some say that love is a gent - le It on - ly has

izzz fe

^E5 W'1p

r3^ T:

^^ 3^ za ?

IA7 D D 7 Fp

s s^

brought me pain, And the on ly boy

Im f^F T~Tra * J ' 4 i-i y n

* ftt*

i 3^ f

Bm * Em (A7) A7 D l D.C. al Fiw

m-a wloved is gone on that mid - night train.

ife= mrr

This lonesome song is known widely throughout the southern mountains,and is typical of the beautiful folk poetry which the mountaineers createdto tell of heartbreak and sorrow, borrowing inspiration from older com-monplace expressions found in British folk love songs. The tune is equallyubiquitous and adorns many other fine texts.

EastVirginia

KEY: B MINOR CAPO: 2ND PLAY: A MINOR

Moderately

iDm(Am) G(D)

J I .I. J'

Dm (Am)

Sgin - ia,1 was born

.

in East Vir - North Car- o

i^ m w~CT~^E= > J J^ j J^~J ^^ i j j j -

Gm(Dm) Dm(Am) D(A)

i iteeG(D)

S^Dm(Am)

iA7 (E) Dm(Am) (O)

?

#

=Wt"XT"

a fair pret-ty maid-en, Her name and age I do not know.

IiS mm(O)

m~C*~ TTTOT; -i

^i y=M (O)? p-*- f f= ~n~ IE

36

Her hair it was of a brightsome color,

And her lips of a ruby red.On her breast she wore white lilies.There I longed to lay my head.

Well, in my heart you are my darlin',At my door you're welcome in,At my gate I'll meet you my darlin',If your love I could only win.

I'd rather be in some dark holler

Where the sun refused to shine.Than to see you be another man's darlin',And to know that you'll never be mine.

Well in the night I'm dreamin' about you,

In the day I find no rest,Just the thought of you my darlin',Sends aching pains all through my breast.

Well when I'm dead and in my coffin,With my feet turned toward the sun.Come and sit beside me darlin',Come and think on the way you done.

This song was a favorite with broadside printers in England from the 17thcentury, and is still sung in parts of England and Scotland. The textsometimes runs to seven or more verses, but the two given here are fullyrepresentative of the rest.

KEY: E CAPO: 4TH PLAY: C

I OnceLoveda toy

Moderately slow

F(C*)

^^ ^Am (En ** Bb(Dm) Gm(G)

^ PPi mI once loved a boy and a bold

M^ pIr_ ish boy, I would

P^^i Ji=Z2 tor-6-

JE^L = =J=J:^m* T 1zT S^fPedal simile

F(C) Gm(Dm) C?(Em*) F(C*)Sfe S i I ym^come and would go

imat his re - quest. And this

m1 1T"^^ 4=

r r- -r t f.L-F

3E=m ^s^

!r T r

(C") and (Em*) chords are to be played in higher position using first three strings.""As performed: Gm(Dm). This and subsequent variations reflect implied harmonies of the guitar. 38

Am(C) Gm (Dm C 7 (Em*)

And this girl who has taken my bold bonnie lad,May she make of it all that she can,For whether he loves me or loves me not,I will walk with my love now and then.

*A:

The English collector Sabine Baring-Gould found this song in traditionin 1894 and believed it to date back to the period of the Stuart Restora-tion. Love metaphors utilizing playing cards motifs occur in the folk-songs of many lands, but rarely as effectively as in this song.

KEY: F# MINOR CAPO: 2ND PLAY: E MINOR

Queenof

Hearts

Had I the store in yonder mountain,Where gold and silver is there for countin'I could not count for thought of thee,

My eyes so full I could not see.

I love my father, I love my mother,I love my sister, I love my brother,I love my friends and relatives, too,I'll forsake them all and go with you.

To the Queen of Hearts, etc.

40

ModenitHy

to^ Bm(Em) F# 7 (B 7 ) Bm(Em)V d P F l ||,j tJ ETo the Queen of Hearts is the Are of

Sor- row, be'

Pedal simile

%Em(Am) F#(B 7 ) Bm(Em)S ==^^^9here to - day, he's gone. to - mor- row, Young

m i f

jTif1 P

^S it * P^ 3s! ? frrFj*7 (B 7) Bm(Em) Em (Am)

j1

1? p~ t

pi" J1 g r^^ ^ g d

men are plen - ty but sweet- hearts. few, If my love_

^=N^M ^^f^f wm ^

-j. j_j.pT T V

#Bm(Em) F#7 (B 7 ) Bm(Em)

I first and others last OI T-Ir I'fe5 r r - r i r ^

leaves me,

.

what shall I do?

limn i

gi*

j- i

?

i=i -kT f

f

Ep

/CS

PP

J 5^

41

This is a variant text of one of the most beautiful of all lyric songs ofBritish origin. Robert Burns knew a folk version which he revised with asure touch, but the folk preferred their own versions, and have kept thesong in living tradition for several hundred years. The music for thisversion is the work of David Gude of Martha's Vineyard.

KEY: F# CAPO: 4TH PLAY: D

FareTheeWell

CIOT THOUSATO MILES)

ii

Rhythmic, pulsating"G(D) F(C)

G(D)

*=&be gone,fareOh,

#thee well, must And

3e r^ Wfy"/^^

r

G(D) F(C) Dm 7 ) G(D)

Em(Bm) C(G) '(D)

^E mmmwill re-turn, if 1 go. ten thou - sand.

&* J - J' J J I fP^lfIX Vm M

if &w p -*rr

*As performed: G(D).

42

EmlBm) "Am Em 'Am G(D)

"Omiles,

.

W.If I RO.

TS

^ 1 31 -

m

#^ir f

m= t/j.

*

C(G) G(D) Em(Bm)-**- TT

i^f I go,

331 i *

ggji=T

I

* j/* E/ r-flV^^^ ^=#1 P iWTT~

C(G) D 7 (A 7

3E5 ^G(D) (O)

^^if I go ten thou - sand miles.

"As performed: Em(Bm) throughout this section.

4.

Oh, ten thousand miles it is so far to leave me here alone,

While I may lie, lament and cry, and you, you'll not hear my moan,And you'll, no you'll, and you'll not hear my moan.

Oh, the crow that is so black my love will change his color white,If ever I should prove false to thee, the day, day will turn to night,

Yes, the day, oh the day, yes the day will turn to night.

Oh, the rivers never will run dry, or the rocks melt with the sun,

I'll never prove false to the boy I love, 'til all, all these things be done,

'Til all, 'til all, 'til all these things be done.

43

This incomparable lyric lament on false suitors is perhaps the best knownof all such pieces from the Southern Appalachians. Numerous textualvariants are known, sung to almost as many different tunes. Some of itsverses can be traced back to British songs, while others are found onlyin America. Taken together they form an exquisite example of lyric folksong.

KEY: F CAPO: 3RD PLAY: D

Come AllYe Fair

and TenderMaidens

Moderately lively, flowing*F(D) Eb(C) F(l

ffffEb(C) F(D) EMC) Cm (Am)

HP JiJ T -NJJ* mp

^W V

^m

iF(D) F(D)

mEMC) F(D)

^5 ^^Eb(C)

Come all ye fair

.

i1 jjj m i i . ? w TT

* !:. pm v EgPedal simile

iF(D) Eb(C) Bb(G) Dm (Em) Bb(G) Gm(Em)Sb~| F =ff f f~rr^ m

#

and ten - der maid - ens_

i ^ iP^Take warn-ing

r

L

^

*As performed: Gm(Em).

44

*F(D) Eb(C) FID) Eb(C) Gm(En

r ^r p -**rhow

.

you court young men,

tJ J 3>J J)t=rf

=?*r

-*-

y *

^ e

feEMC) F(D) BI.(G) Gm(En BI-(G) F 7 (Em)

^*^ J J) J' J'

J

^They're like a star of a sum-mer's

*i 1 :~

,J J 3 irj*r

T5r

^ ^ > J i J^ r f=r r$

BI.(G) Gm(Em) Bb(G) Gm(Em) Eb(C) Cm(Am) Eb(C)

mi3ES ? -morn-ing, First they'll ap-pear, and then they're

.

/'t> W * I *

^ JTh JJ t; ^ ^=^ ^=TF(D) Eb(C)

/irsf^ and others I I Za.sf

F(D) Cm(C-Am) F(D)5 rif.

Cm(C-Am) F(D)

gone.

ir.h.

mr 7lr

7=

r

-y-J-

rir.

r

i

/O

PP

45

5.

6.

They'll tell to you some lovin' story,

They'll swear to you their love is true,

Straight-way they'll go and court another,And that's the love they had for you.

Oh, do you remember our days of courtin'When your head lay upon my breast?You could make me believe

with the fallin' of your arm

That the sun rose in the West.

If I'd a known before I courtedThat love it was such a killin' thing,I'd a locked my heart in a box of goldenAnd fastened it up with a silver pin.

I wish I was a little sparrow,

And I had wings and I could fly,I'd fly away to my own true lover,And when he'd speak I would deny.

But I am not no little sparrow,

I have no wings, neither can I fly,

I'll sit right down in my grief and sorrow,And let my troubles pass me by.

Come all ye fair and tender maidens, etc.

46

CHILDBALLADSAmong the finest of all the folksongs in theEnglish-speaking world are the 305 classicBritish ballads which Francis James Child ofHarvard recognized as being truly traditional,and which he analyzed in great detail in hismonumental five volume work. The English andScottish Popular Ballads (1882-1898). Theseballads are still identified by the numbers whichhe assigned to them and, though more than halfa century has passed since his work was com-pleted, only a few ballads have been recom-

mended as additions to Child's canon, an indi-cation of the degree to which Child's selectionshave become the standard by which all balladryis judged.

1

\S47

An 18th century English broadside ballad has intertwined with a 17th

century traditional Scottish ballad to produce one of the dramatic gemsof British balladry. Poaching, even by a nobleman, was a serious crime.His high position, however, entitled him to a death befitting his station

in life. Geordie's sweetheart (or wife) pleads for his life, usually to noavail, though in at least one other version he obtains his freedom thanksto the sheer force of her character.

Geordie

KEY: F MINOR CAPO: 1ST PLAY: E MINOR (CHILD NO. 209)

ModeratelyF?m(Em)

f

fe^M^*C*m(D) D(C)

3>A(EmorG) F#m(Em)

11 1 i j 1

1

I

As I walked out o - ver Lon - don bridge

3 i f

f 1

p

^^j i j j- -j

i ^i r

o-$=5- ^^

A^^'J'r 'r

**A(EmorG> E(D) F*m(Em) >A(EmorG) E(D)sF

i r nr isfODemist-y morn-ing ear - ly, I o-ver- heard a fair pret-ty

i44 &E ^ f :& ^ I

J J' J- U. i i jI

41Ctfm(Bm) D(C) A(G) C#(B7 ) Ffm(Em) (>Q)

fc^^s J-U J) J) ' J zrmaid was la- ment- ing for her Geor die.

44^ (Oj^ i^f =

j r

*M f. J

i r $ r r-

i-j. ^ fed i=i ir it

mm p f r- rT^*As performed: E(D).

As performed: F#m(Em). 48

4.

Ah, my Geordie will be hanged in a golden chainTis not the chain of manyHe was born of king's royal breed

And lost to a virtuous lady.

Go bridle me my milk white steed,Go bridle me my pony,I will ride to London's court

To plead for the life of Geordie.

Ah, my Geordie never stole nor cow nor calf,He never hurted any,Stole sixteen of the king's royal deer,

And he sold them in Bohenny.

Two pretty babies have I born,The third lies in my body,I'd freely part with them every one

If you'd spare the life of Geordie.

The judge looked over his left shoulder,He said fair maid I'm sorryHe said fair maid you must be gone,

For I cannot pardon Geordie.

7. Ah, my Geordie will be hanged in a golden chain,'Tis not the chain of many,

Stole sixteen of the king's royal deer

And he sold them in Bohenny.

49

This may well be but one half of a longer ballad in which a sinking of amerchant ship by a pirate is revenged when the King sends one of hiscaptains to locate, defeat and capture the pirate. As given here, we havethe first half of that tale; the rest of the story is dramatically told in an-

other Child ballad, "Sir Andrew Barton" (Child No. 167). Both balladshave been collected frequently from traditional singers in America.

HenryMartin

KEY: B MINOR CAPO: 2ND PLAY: A MINOR (CHILD NO. 250)

I

Moderately fastDm (Am) A(E) Dm (Am)

^m~n

land, Id

I

There were three broth - ers in Mer - ry Scot

mnf

t9EF 50

IGm(Dm) AlEor C) (E) Dm(Am)

Mer- ry Scot - land there were three,

.

And they did cast

P iT7~=~ ^T(i

m i I I^ ^ f5 f

I^F^FGm(Dm)

3lots which of them should go, should go,. should

j;b Mpr g ii^i-

foI J 4 i i Ps ^ ^

^A(CorE) (E) Dm(Am) F(C) C(G)

mg go,

^ 3And_ turn rob-ber all on the salt

^=4- ^J- J)r i' r

*r

>=. > J

r

plUr4:

^F^f5Dm(Am)

51

2. The lot it fell first upon Henry Martin,The youngest of all the three,That he should turn robber all on the salt sea, the salt sea, the salt sea,

For to maintain his two brothers and he.

3. They had not been sailing but a long Winter's night,And part of a short Winter's day,When he espied a stout lofty ship, lofty ship, lofty shipCome a-bibbing down on him straight way.

4. "Hello, hello," cried Henry Martin

"What makes you sail so nigh?""I'm a rich merchant ship bound for fair London town, London town,

London town,Would you please for to let me pass by?"

5. "Oh, no, oh no," cried Henry Martin,

"This thing it never could be,

For I have turned robber all on the salt sea, the salt sea, the salt sea,

For to maintain my two brothers and me."

6. "Come lower your tops'l and brail up your mizzen,Bring your ship under my leeOr I will give to you a full cannon ball, cannon ball, cannon ball,

And all your dear bodies drown in the salt sea."

7. "Oh no, we won't lower our lofty topsail,Nor bring our ship under your lee

And you shan't take from us our rich merchant goods, merchantgoods, merchant goods,

Nor point our bold guns to the sea.

8. And broadside and broadside and at it they wentFor fully two hours or three,

'Til Henry Martin gave to them the death shot, the death shot,

the death shot

And straight to the bottom went she.

9. Bad news, bad news to old England came,Bad news to fair London town,There's been a rich vessel and she's cast away, cast away, cast away,

And all of her merry men drowned.

52

Mary;

Hamilton

The ballad tale told here bears resemblance to two distinct historicaloccurrences: one relating to a 16th century incident in the court of MaryQueen of Scots, and the other to an affair in the court of Russia's CzarPeter in the 18th century. At this late date, however, oral tradition hasaltered the story too greatly to pinpoint the exact incident on which theballad might have been based. The long circumstantial version given here

not have much currency today among traditional singers; all thatilly remains is a lyric lament in which Mary Hamilton makes a farewell;h without any explanation of why she is being punished.

PLAY: (CHILD NO. 173)

iQuite moderately

D(A)

^mlOCcWord is to. the

m 3= I^ f32

^^

Py J

J

jr=l J)J J # 1 ^Bm(F#m or D) *A(A) D(A)

mmm 1^3gone And- word is to thp

^mJZZ ===^XU & aG

r u i^

a * A' IE)

hall, _

G(D) D(A)&^^ m

And word is up to Mad- am the_

J J ^^^-z -z

m m mi- XI^^ r lt

IBm (Fltm) D(A) : G(E) A7 (E) D(A)

I 2ni and others\

4^4; ' i1^3iall,.Queen And that's the_ worst of

m (O)^9 -n3-r r r rr^ F^ 1S5 3n^ ^r (O)As performed: D(A).**As performed: A 7 (E) through measure. 54

I /"'oerse onlyG(0

2. "Arise, arise, Mary Hamilton, 8..Arise and tell to me,What thou hast done with thy wee babeI saw and heard weep by thee?"

3. "I put him in a tiny boat, 9.And cast him out to sea,That he might sink or he might swim,But he'd never come back to me."

4. "Arise, arise, Mary Hamilton, 10.Arise and come with me;There is a wedding in Glasgow town,This night we'll go and see."

5

.

She put not on her robes of black, 1 1

.

Nor her robes of brown,But she put on her robes of white.

To ride into Glasgow town.

6. And as she rode into Glasgow town, 12.The city for to see,The bailiff's wife and the provost's wifeCried, "Ach, and alas for thee."

7. "Ah, you need not weep for me," she cried, 13."You need not weep for me;For had I not slain my own wee babe,This death I would not dee."

'Ah, little did my mother thinkWhen first she cradled me,The lands I was to travel in,And the death I was to dee."

"Last night I washed the Queen's feet,And put the gold in her hair,And the only reward I find for this,The gallows to be my share."

"Cast off, cast off my gown," she cried,"But let my petticoat be,And tie a napkin 'round my face;The gallows I would not see."

Then by and come the King himself,Looked up with a pitiful eye,"Come down, come down, Mary Hamilton,Tonight, you'll dine with me."

"Ah, hold your tongue, my sovereign liege,And let your folly be;For if you'd a mind to save my life,You'd never have shamed me here."

"Last night there were four Marys,

Tonight there'll be but three,

There was Mary Beaton, and Mary Seton,And Mary Carmichael, and me."

"The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry" is one of numerous tales of the'Silkies,' or sealfolk, known to the inhabitants of the Orkney Islands andthe Hebrides. These enchanted creatures dwell in the depth of the sea,occasionally doffing their seal skins to pass on land as mortal men.Legend has it that they then accept human partners, and some familieson the islands actually trace their ancestry to such marriages. In morecomplete versions of the ballad the Silkie's forecast of the death of him-self and his son (stanzas 5 and 6) eventually come to pass. The tune isby Dr. James Waters of Columbia University.

Silkie

KEY: D CAPO: NONE PLAY: D (CHILD NO. 113)

ModeratelyG(D) F(C) G(D)

pmG(D) F(C) G(D)

fl m

I

An earth ly nurse sits and sings,

I

And

=*

m &m gmPedal simile

#F(C)

^G(D)

9

i

Aye, she sings by li - ly.

y iggj r

wean, And

f ^

m g / z: tm =z56

Am(Em)

Dm(Am) QID) [/?>)

^^i .;-19-where he dwells in.

i(^>

3 '*

i^ r

As performed: G{D) to end.

57

For he came one night to her bed feet,And a grumbly guest, I'm sure was he,Saying "Here am I, thy bairn's father,

Although I be not comely."

'I am a man upon the land,

I am a silkie on the sea,

And when I'm far and far frae land,My home it is in Sule Skerrie."

And he had ta'en a purse of goldAnd he had placed it upon her knee,Saying, "Give to me my little young son,And take thee up thy nurse's fee."

'And it shall come to pass on a summer's day,When the sun shines bright on every stane, ^HI'll come and fetch my little young son,And teach him how to swim the faem."

'And ye shall marry a gunner good,And a right fine gunner I'm sure he'll be,And the very first shot that e'er he shootsWill kill both my young son and me."

This is without doubt the best known and most widely sung of all Britishtraditional ballads, both in the Old World and in America. Most variantsstrongly resemble one another, undoubtedly due to the frequent publi-cation of this ballad in songsters, chapbooks, penny garlands and onbroadsides from the 17th century on.

KEY: B CAPO: 2ND PLAY: A (CHILD NO. 84)

BarbaraAllen

Motlorately

D(A) A(E) D(A)

D 7(A)

Bm(F#m)

58

A7 (E) D(A)

4.

5.

He sent his servant to the town.

To the place where she was dwellin',

Saying, "You must come to my master dear,If your name be Barb'ry Allen."

So, slowly, slowly she got up,

And slowly she drew nigh him,And the only words to him did say,"Young man, I think you're dyin'."

He turned his face unto the wall,

And death was in him wellin',"Good-bye, good-bye to my friends all,Be good to Barb'ry Allen."

When he was dead and laid in grave,She heard the death bells knellin',

And every stroke to her did say:"Hard-hearted Barb'ry Allen."

6. "Oh mother, oh mother, go dig my grave,Make it both long and narrow;Sweet William died of love for me,And I will die of sorrow."

7. "And father, oh father, go dig my grave,Make it both long and narrow,Sweet William died on yesterday,

And I will die tomorrow."

8. Barb'ry Allen was buried in the old church-yard,

Sweet William was buried beside her;Out of Sweet William's heart there grew a rose,Out of Barb'ry Allen's, a briar.

9. They grew and grew in the old church-yard,'Til they could grow no higher;

At the end they formed a true lovers' knot,And the rose grew 'round the briar.

59

Aside from its exquisite poetry and music, this ballad is notable for itsexhibition of the universal popular belief that excessive grief on the partof mourners disturbs the peace of the dead. Most of the verses of "TheUnquiet Grave" can be found in other ballads and folk lyrics, suggestingthe possibility that what we have here is only a fragment of a longerballad still undiscovered. But in its few short verses it presents a com-pelling and highly dramatic vignette of love, death and grief.

KEY: C CAPO: NONE PLAY: C (CHILD NO. 78)

TheUnquiet

Grave

ModeratelyC (C+F)

F(F.rfc)

*Am "Em

And gent

Dm

=z

ly drops the rain.

.

*As performed: C.As performed: G7 throughout. 60

J i J

L

'Am

iI've nev

i7 l* rf

^^ ser had

aagfct

Sbut one

_

true

^--*

love,

1And in green wood

UPPI * $ n' tLrJ 7 lLt7 7 rfrfr *XU^

iG? Zasr time only r>

m m+^-*he

0lies slain.

PPS7s

mmm wmm iF #P

-r

I'll do as much for my true love,As any young girl may,

I'll sit and mourn all on his grave,

For twelve months and a day.

And when twelve months and a day was passed.The ghost did rise and speak,"Why sittest thou all on my graveAnd will not let me sleep?"

"Go fetch me water from the desert.And blood from out the stone,Go fetch me milk from a fair maid's breastThat young man never has known."

"My breast it is as cold as clay,My breath is earthly strong,And if you kiss my cold clay lipsYour days they won't be long."

"How oft on yonder grave, sweetheart,Where we were wont to walk,The fairest flower that e'er I sawHas withered to a stalk."

"When will we meet again, sweetheart,When will we meet again?""When the Autumn leaves that fall from the treesAre green and spring up again."

61

This is one of the most popular of English religious folk ballads. Its talederives from the Pseudo-Matthew gospel, and in medieval times was fre-quently dramatized in folk plays and mystery pageants including, amongothers, those performed by the Grey Friars in Coventry. Fuller versionsof the ballad sometimes contain predictions of Jesus' birth, death andresurrection.

KEY: D CAPO: NONE; TUNE 6TH STRING TO D PLAY: D (CHILD NO. 54)

TheCherry

Tree

Carol

Moderately

#askF(D)

mm ^When Jos eph was an old. man,

fj m

An

"/

s J:I

C-(A) 'Dm(G)

^3E E ^^ ^EExEF(D)

^=$9 a:old man was he, He mar - ried Vir- gin Mar - y, The

5 ^m mT-J

* I

I J i=4* >.H > i^ f5 ? f="T

A7 (F#) fj!>(g;

s As performed: Bf>(G).

62

F(D)

5Mar - y,

mC7 (A)

^=PF(D)

jcn

The Queen of Ga - li - lee.

.

m

*^

^ ^ .z;

ir

j t J"

^r^T^ tx v rJoseph and Mary walked through an orchard green,There were berries and cherries as thick as might be seen,There were berries and cherries as thick as might be seen.

3. And Mary spoke to Joseph, so meek and so mild,"Joseph gather me some cherries, for I am with child,

Joseph gather me some cherries, for I am with child."

4. And Joseph flew in anger, in anger flew he,"Let the father of the baby gather cherries for thee,Let the father of the baby gather cherries for thee."

5. Then up spoke baby Jesus from in Mary's womb,"Bend down the tallest tree that my mother might have some,Bend down the tallest tree that my mother might have some."

6. And bent down the tallest branch 'til it touched Mary's hand,Cried she, "Oh, look thou Joseph, I have cherries by command,"Cried she, "Oh, look thou Joseph, I have cherries by command."

63

This is one of the best of the American versions of "The Wife of Usher'sWell," a remarkable ballad on the theme of persistent grief and tearsdisturbing the sleep of the dead. The children have been sent away tolearn magic (grammaree), a point rarely recognized by the folk who singthe ballad. The children's death and their mother's prayer for their returnculminates in their ghostly visit to warn her of the effect of her mourning.

In most American versions of the Child ballads supernatural motifs dis-appear, except where, as in the case of "Lady Gay," there are religiousovertones to the ballad tale.

Lady Gray

KEY: Eb CAPO: 3RD PLAY: C (CHILD NO. 79)

Moderately

fr'"' J J *Eb(C)

pmmCm (Am)

m-e-Therewas a La dy and a La - dy Gay,

IAB i i W2 *T*T wm m^m

/r r Tf if

5 S :ote Eb(C)W 11^^ Pp -o-

Of_ child - ren she had three, She sent them a - way

msm^T^T TTW

p1^ m

IS2Ea j j^ *

r -o-

to the North Coun - tree

iS ass ~n~

nrnr

P

To learn

J T -

their

s:

64

p^?5Cm (Am) first and others tnst /Z\

w3E

gram- ma ree.

P^ii_!lV

Tfi? T? * f 7? i f^^ HH mm i i s^2. They'd not been gone but a very short time,

Scarcely three weeks and a day,When death, cruel death, came harkening alongAnd stole those babes away.

3. "There is a King in Heaven", she cried,"A King of third degreeSend back, send back my three little babes,This night send them back to me."

4. She made a bed in the uppermost room,On it she put a white sheet.And over the top a golden spreadThat they much better might sleep.

5. "Take it off, take it off," cried the older one,"Take it off, take it off," cried he,"For what's to become

of this wide wicked world

Since sin has first begun."

She set a table of linen fine,

On it she placed bread and wine,"Come eat, come drink, my three little babesCome eat, come drink of mine."

"We want none of your bread, mother,Neither do we want your wine,For yonder stands our Savior dear,To Him we must resign."

"Green grass is over our heads, mother,

Cold clay is over our feet,And every tear you shed for us,It wets our winding-sheet."

65

Child's title for this ballad, "James Harris, or the Daemon Lover," indi-cates the supernatural status of the returning lover, a point which isusually rationalized or eliminated in most American versions. In this fineversion, however, the demonic character of the suitor is alluded to in thedramatic closing verses. Next to "Barbara Allen," this is probably themost popular of the Child ballads performed in American tradition.

KEY: C MINOR CAPO: 3RD PLAY: A MINOR (CHILD NO. 243)

HouseCarpenter

i

Moderately

C(G)

mmDm(Am) F(C)

J' J J> J^

Well met, well met," cried he,.

r^r-"I've just re-turned from the

r r J1 5P22 P *

i^j y^Ti yh y h y jrJ^^r

iC(G) Am (Em) Bb(Am) C(GorE) Dm(Am)

(O)

^ ^salt, salt sea, All for the love

WPof thee."

1^ S^ JK* Jk

(O)

^Jn-j

^ ^= f i^)As performed: Dm(Am).

66

"I could have married the king's daughter, dear,

She would have married me,But I have forsaken her crowns of gold

All for the love of thee."

"Well, if you could have married the king'sdaughter, dear,

I'm sure you are to blame,

For I am married to a house carpenter,

I find him a nice young man."

"Ah, will you forsake your house carpenter,

And go along with me,I'll take you where the grass grows green,

By the banks of the salt, salt sea."

9. Well they'd not been gone but abouttwo weeks,

I know it was not three,When this fair lady began to weep,She wept most bitterly.

10. "Ah, why do you weep, my fair young maid,Weep you for your golden storeOr do you weep for your house carpenter,Who never you shall see any more."

11. "I do not weep for my house carpenterOr for any golden store,I do weep for my own wee babeWho never I shall see any more."

"Well, if I should forsake my house carpenter, 12.And go along with thee,What have you got to maintain me onAnd keep me from poverty."

"Six ships, six ships all out on the sea,

Seven more upon dry land, 13.One hundred and ten all brave sailor men,Will be at your command."

She picked up her own wee babe,

And kisses gave him three, 14.Said, "Stay right here with my house carpenter,And keep him good company."

Then she putted on her rich attire,So glorious to behold,

And as she trod along her way,She shone like the glittering gold.

15.

Well, they'd not been gone butabout three weeks,

I'm sure it was not four,

Our gallant ship sprang a leak and sank.Never to rise any more.

One time 'round spun our gallant shipTwo times 'round spun she,Three times around spun our gallant ship

And sank to the bottom of the sea.

"What hills, what hills are those, my love,That rise so fair and high?"

"Those are the hills of Heaven my love,But not for you and I."

"And what hills, what hills are those,my love,

Those hills so dark and low?""Those are the hills of Hell, my love,Where you and I must go."

67

r

This dramatic ballad traces back to at least the beginning of the 17th cen-tury in Britain, but has proven more popular in this country than in theOld World. Its tale of adultery and the gruesome revenge which followshas struck a responsive note in the New World wherever Puritan andCalvinist precepts hold sway, undoubtedly accounting for its widespreadpopularity in this country despite its great length.

MattyGroves

KEY: Bo MINOR CAPO: 1ST PLAY: A MINOR (CHILD NO. 81)

Moderately and freelyBm(Am) Em(Dm) Bm(Am)

H J' J> J' J' }, f 'in J' J ' J' 1best day of theHi - ho, hi - ho, ho - li day, the

^>IJ J J J J J3T^^^ 3t

Tip-

/>

sztfc^m

r

^Pf^:or SPf* zft

iFJt(E) Bm(Am) Em(Dm) Bm(Am)

mtrg

'

p J |J| Jl i> J'U T F i *p J)J ' Wfeznyear, Lit-tle Mat - ty Groves to church did go some ho - ly words to

mmW fTJ Jj_31Mf=3fag : f5

^ lAa xci=i 1 ?f=Ff(E)S G'Am)

* Em(E) F|(E) Bm(Am)

some ho - ly words_ to hear.hear,

ihi,\_

v ji3T

^ i3= r L-JUr* 'f

h > L i"i^f m i a ^

TC^I

CMJ. 7

=? * fS=f=f"As performed: Bm(Am), F#(E).

""For some verses: Em(Dm) passing through Bm(Am) and F#(E) to Bm(Am).(O)

68

2. He spied three ladies dressed in black,

As they came into view,

Lord Aden's wife was gaily clad,

A flower among the few, a flower among the few.

3. She tripped up to Matty Groves,

Her eyes so low cast down.

Saying, "Pray, oh, pray come with me stay,

As you pass through the town, as you pass through the town."

4. "I cannot go, I dare not go,

I fear 'twould cost my life,For I see by the little ring you wear,

You are Lord Arlen's wife, you're the great Lord Arlen's wife."

5

.

"This may be false, this may be true,

I can't deny it all,

Lord Arlen's gone to consecrate

King Henry at Whitehall, King Henry at Whitehall."

6. "Oh, pray, oh pray come with me stay,

I'll hide thee out of sight,

I'll serve you there beyond compare,

And sleep with you the night, and sleep with you the night."

7. Her little page did listen well,

To all that they did say,

And ere the sun could rise againHe quickly sped away, he quickly sped away.

8. And he did run the Kings' highway,He swam across the tide,

He ne'er did stop until he came

To the great Lord Arlen's side, to the great Lord Arlen's side.

9. "What news, what news, my bully boy,What news brings you to me,My castle burned, my tenants robbed,My lady with baby, my lady with baby?"

10. "No harm has come your house and land,"The little page did say,

"But Matty Groves is bedded up

With your fair lady gay, with your fair lady gay."

1 1

.

Lord Arlen called his merry men,

He bade them with him go,He bade them ne'er a word to speak,And ne'er a horn to blow, and ne'er a horn to blow.

12. But among Lord Aden's merry menWas one who wished no ill,And the bravest lad in all the crewBlew his horn so loud and shrill, blew his horn so loud and shrill.

13. "What's this, what's this," cried Matty Groves,

"What's this that I do hear?It must be Lord Arlen's merry men,The ones that I do fear, the ones that I do fear."

14. "Lie down, lie down, little Matty Groves,And keep my back from cold,It's only Lord Arlen's merry menA-callin' the sheep to fold, a-callin' the sheep to fold."

15. Little Matty Groves he did lie down,He took a nap asleep,And when he woke Lord Arlen wasA-standing at his feet, a-standing at his feet.

1 6. "How now, how now, my bully boy,And how do you like my sheets?And how do you like my fair young brideWho lies in your arms asleep, who lies in your arms asleep?"

17. "Ah, it's very well I like your bed,

And it's fine I like your sheets,But it's best I like your fair young bride

Who lies in my arms asleep, who lies in my arms asleep."

18. "Rise up, rise up, little Matty Groves,

As fast as e'er you can;In England it shall ne'er be saidI slew a sleeping man, I slew a sleeping man."

19. And the firstest stroke little Matty struck,He hurt Lord Arlen sore,But the nextest stroke Lord Arlen struck,Little Matty struck no more, little Matty struck no more.

20. "Rise up, rise up, my gay young bride,Draw on your pretty clothes,Now tell me do you like me bestOr like you Matty Groves, or the dying Matty Groves?"

21. She picked up Matty's dying head,

She kissed from cheek to chin,

Said, "It's Matty Groves I'd rather have

Than Arlen and all his kin, than Arlen and all his kin."

22. "Ah, woe is me and woe is thee,Why stayed you not your hand?For you have killed the fairest lad

In all of England, in all of England." 70

iBROADSIDEBALLADS :>

8!.*^>

w%

kA

Almost from the inception of printing, ballad and

song materials were published on one side of single

sheets of paper of various sizes and sold for a fewpennies by street singers and hawkers at country fairsand on the streets of towns and cities throughoutEurope, and later in the New World as well. Takingtheir name from those song sheets which were widerthan they were long, the ballads which appeared on

them became known as 'broadside' ballads. Theartistry of these compositions was generally of a

lower order than those of the older traditional ballads,

many of them being the work of hack scrivenersin the employ of the printers. But the ballad sheets

helped to wing these songs on their way into oralcirculation, in the course of which many weresmoothed out and changed from journalistic drossto minor oral masterpieces.

The ballad scholar, Malcolm G. Laws, Jr., hasclassified many of the non-Child ballads found inAmerica, and the numbers which appear after thetitles are those which he has assigned to ballads given

here.

7. H M

fjrri

71

Ml 00 J JO Jl-qj , US l,-*" St" 1mo jo\(i 2"

"ON * 'U '" oil ,.m> .

.^an Oy^i rU W'|

,

S 5H".j'"-

The rejected suitor who in turn rejects his false lover when she finallycalls for him is a popular theme in traditional and broadside balladry, andnumerous different versifications have been collected from traditionalsingers on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. This is one of the best of

them, uncomplicated by the introduction of other themes.

KEY: E MINOR CAPO: NONE PLAY: E MINOR (LAWS P 10)

Slow and very freeGm(Em)

OnceI Knewa Pretty

Girl

Cm(Am)UrrUtrrW ^ urmsrru ^ 5

i'

1

!!.! ' ,i', i ' tj'i i j jij i Tif r r r"

i

'

r a

i

1. Once I knew* a pret-ty girl

^^ a= f3=loved her as my life. I'd

airrn hs- r4^r

iGm(B7 )i

Gm(Em) D7(B7 ).

wife,P ig

'/O Gm(Em)

9^ymy_ wife.

i

iOh, to make her

J JTi m sr

'

h'' J J ' l J l]J ij/7\

^^ 5ff r

a tempo, moderatelyGm(Em)

2ak/ at/ subsequent verses.

Cm(Am)Si M M"P F p j^ P^She led me to the door.

i^S 3==1 ^^She

P

I'ertttl niinih

Gm(Em)

I," ft 3^ mD(B 7 )

fE^sSput her arms. a - rourjd me say- ing "Please don't come no

^ 5 i f it jj. J a J=

3* i B / 'ZI / m I' J' r IJ ^'f

-As performed: D7 (B7 ).73

Gm(Em)

ID7(B 7 ) Gm(Em) (O)&E Pplease come no more.'!.

(O)TT

-Or -O-

,'fl,1' t

.)

vS T

lLU lLUz:

(O)

p^ i

Well, I'd not been gone but about six months,

When she did complain,And she wrote me a letter,Saying, "Please come back again,

Ooh, please come again."

So come all ye young lovers,

Take a warning from me,And never place your affectionsOn a green growin' tree,Ooh, on a green growin' tree.

And I wrote her an answer,Just for to let her know,

That no young man should venture,

Where once he could not go,Ooh, where once he could not go.

'Cause the leaves they will wither,

Roots will decay,

And the beauty of a young maid,Will soon fade away,

Ooh, soon fade away.

74

Silver

Dagger

Family opposition to the marriage of lovers takes many forms in tradi-

tional ballads, almost all of which end either with the lovers committing

suicide or one of them being done away with by the recalcitrant parents.In this version of "The Silver Dagger," however, the ballad ends incon-

clusively for we are not told what course will be taken by the rejectedlover.

KEY: Db CAPO: 4TH PLAY: A (LAWS M 4 AND G 21)

inLively

F(A) BMD)

/PPPI* * * * * * *

^ j u i mm m

*

F(A) F(A)

fc=* JjplrF f P*P^

Don't sing love son^s, you'll wake my

i gs*^ i=^^* * #^

w *

IBMD) f^ F(A)S ~^t~

motb-er,_ She's sleep-ing here

febK "

F ; F * F^fi y y yf y f nm

3 LM g @p-

iGm(Bm)

P^Pp ^^ r6right by my side, And in her

S^ 1 f 1 f 1 f 1 fn- i n-

E7Si^ =*

76

iEMG)

mmright hand

f ^^Cm(Em)

^a sil-ver dag - ger

fy ,Jlp

;p"

p p I ^pVpf"^ j bf fJ, T LlT''U

J '1 m

$Gm(Bm) EMG)

mi jJiir w * '--She says that I can't be your

iF(A) first unit otliers Inst

> JiJ> r i l"

^ Fbride. 2. All men are

iy?r

^^

r.A.

.y i *y 1*J 2=* V f V 1 7 I 7 3^3r EJ" r J" S5 Wr r J

All men afe false, says my mother,They'll tell you wicked, lovin' lies.

The very next evening, they'll court another,Leave you alone to pine and sigh.

My daddy is a handsome devil,He's got a chain five miles long,

And on every link a heart does dangleOf another maid he's loved and wronged.

Go court another tender maiden,And hope that she will be your wife,For I've been warned, and I've decided

To sleep alone all of my life.

77

This ballad appears to have been founded on an actual occurrence. Inthe 17th century, young Lord Craigton was married to Elizabeth Innes,a girl several years his senior, in a child marriage intended to consolidatefamily fortunes. The young husband died several years later. The use ofa colored ribbon as a marriage token (stanza 4) is a centuries-old tradi-tion still found in rural folk communities. The ballad is widely known inScotland ("Lang A-Growing"), Ireland ("The Bonny Boy"), and in Eng-land under the title given here.

KEY: F MINOR CAPO: 1ST PLAY: E MINOR (LAWS O 35)

The TreesThey Do

Grow High

ii

Moderately slow

Gm(Em) Cm (Am) Gm(En

^F=The trees they grow high and the leaves they do grow

te ^=tf if* p f t ~r i rp

iliiisustained

3E

9Bb(G) Dm(Bm) Gm(Em)

^ ixs

green,

mMa - ny is the time my true love I've

fW ITt \ T~i~ r* *- *4=U -&-

i'Dm (Em) Eb(C) Cm(Am) *Eb(Em)

iBb(6)

~~o~'*5

seen,

PMa - ny an hour I've watched him all a - lone, He's

m^ irf=TT

^F" * r * r~I5~

u , ^ J 1 H-*-is 3E 22''As performed: Gm(Em).

78

IDm(Bm) Cm(Am) Dm(Bm) Gm(Em) *Cm Gm Oin f -- -**- '>

young. but he's dai - ly

.

grow log.

m

The girl who disguises herself as a soldier or sailor in order to be at theside of her lover is an age-old theme, and in English alone more than 20different ballads on this theme have been collected from traditionalsingers. "Jackaroe" is one of the most popular of these to be found inAmerica. Here, as in most ballads about a "female warrior," all ends well.

Jackaroe

KEY: D MINOR CAPO: 5TH PLAY: A MINOR (LAWS N 7)

Lively

iEm (Am)

ire m G(C) ^ B(E')^ p if m3tw p fThere was a weal-thy mer - chant, In Lon-don he did dwell,

%21 ^3fc f r -m

U2=psmoothly flowing

%m ^ in. n *p % ? f fEm (Am) G(C) C(F)

4r T f ' r" J 1 j> J* i j j. i i J i J 1 w

i*5i^T

s f

He had a love - ly daugh - ter, The truth to you I'll

*

=jaiJQ s

^

^

E^'1

80

mtell,

i

Em (Am) B(E 7 )S Em (Am) {^^F

Oh, the truth to you I'll tell.

{r

m im M $j i i. g*7^3= ^fr r r r r;

2. She had sweethearts a-plenty and men of high degree,

There was none but Jack the sailor her true love e'er could be,

Oh, her true love e'er could be.

3. Now Jackie's gone a-sailing with trouble on his mind,To leave his native country and his darling girl behind,

Oh, his darling girl behind.

4. She went into a tailor shop and dressed in men's array,

And stepped on board a vessel to convey herself away,Oh, convey herself away.

5. "Before you step on board, sir, your name I'd like to know."

She smiled all in her countenance, "they call me Jackaroe,

Oh, they call me Jackaroe."

6. "Your waist is light and slender, your fingers are neat and small

Your cheeks too red and rosy to face the cannon-ball,

Oh, to face the cannon-ball."

7. "I know my waist is slender, my fingers neat and small,But it would not make me tremble to see ten thousand fall,Oh, to see ten thousand fall."

8. The war soon being over, they hunted all around,And among the dead and dying her darling boy she found,Oh, her darling boy she found.

9. She picked him up all in her arms and carried him to the town,And sent for a physician who quickly healed his wounds,Oh, who quickly healed his wounds.

10. This couple, they got married, so well did they agree,

This couple they got married, so why not you and me,Oh, so why not you and me.

81

In its original Irish form, this ballad told of a race between a horse named'Sku-ball' and a mare, 'Miss Portly,' on the Kildare race track in the early

19th century. In America the song has been most popular in the Negrosouth, where the winning horse is known variously as 'Stewball' or 'Kim-ball.' The music for this version is the work of the Greenbriar Boys.

KEY: C CAPO: NONE PLAY: C (LAWS Q 22)

Stewball

Lazy rhythm

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&SfcZ* r r tStew - ball was a good horse,

Gm(Am)

rf

r tHe wore a high

Cm7 (Dm)

bead,

r99Sm

iFW1

I

And the mane on his fore - top

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(small notes optional for any verse.)^>" '* w F?^(0(o)

Was as fine as silk thread.

P*P f ,' l I li 1 ! i^1 f

FTT ^PT T(o)

(o)82

2. I rode him in England,I rode him in Spain,And I never did lose, boys,I always did gain.

3. So come all you gamblers,

Wherever you are,

And don't bet your moneyOn that little gray mare.

4. Most likely she'll stumble,

Most likely she'll fall,

But you never will lose, boys,

On my noble Stewball.

5. As they were a-ridin'

'Bout halfway around,

That gray mare she stumbled

And fell on the ground.

And away out yonder,Ahead of them all,Came a-prancin' an' dancin'My noble Stewball.

The original British broadside ballad from which this version is descendedlists the many crimes of the narrator, including the robbery of variousLords, Dukes and Earls, for which he is eventually condemned to thegallows. In oral tradition the narrative element is pretty weak, his crimesare generalized and his burial instructions give no indication of his cap-ture and sentencing. Its handsome tune more than makes up for the lossof details in this ballad version.

KEY: C CAPO: 3RD PLAY: A (LAWS L 12)

Kakeand

RamblingBoy

LivolyG 7 (E 7|'N)J J C(A) (A

7)

j j' j' j i

r/

**-

Well, I'm. rake. and a ramb-ling boy,_

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+ J ,i I J l j imi fe^E

sF(D)

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P PPThere's ma-ny a ci - ty- I did en joy,

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iC7 (A7 ) F(0) G7 (E7)

o

F(D)

^PAnd now I've mar- ried me.

ipifs^

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a pret-ty lit -tic wife.

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i

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84

G 7(E7 )

J i'i' J J^

And I love her dear - er

.

than I love my

C(A)

life7

?

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:

j > j i> j- > j-

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Oh, she was pretty, both neat and gay,

Caused me to rob the broad highway,Oh, yes I robbed it, I do declare,And I got myself ten thousand there.

Well, I'm a rake, etc.

Oh, when I die, don't bury me at all,Place my bones in alcohol,And at my feet, place a white snow dove,To tell the world that I died for love.

Well, I'm a rake, etc.

85

Cecil Sharp discovered several versions of this ballad in the SouthernAppalachians on his collecting trips during the first World War, though itappears to have disappeared from American tradition since that time.It is still extremely popular in Scotland as "The Bonnie Lass o' Fyvie

O"

and was earlier known in England as "Pretty Peggy of Derby."

Fennario

KEY: E CAPO: 4TH PLAY: C

Moderately livelyF(C) BMF) PC) Bb(F)

* 7 wAs

fe(Em j. $ ^p lightly flowiny

1 1 J. w_'h it, v

T T

iF(C) Bb(F) F(C)

xc E* ^E^ 5we marched down to Fen ri o,

xc

m

As

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si 3E Pf= f

f

Dm

J' i> i J^

Am(Em)S l=Pwe marched down to Fen na - n - o,

.

Our

^Xi 3 ^

f f"As performed: F(C).

86

Bb(G)

P P F F

F(C)

Cap - tain fell in love with a

Am} } \ 'Af |t J' i

lad - y like

3

m^ f

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^3: =

sj.

^tjr

m

m

wDm(Am)

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m ^iST.dove,

^^They called her by name, pret-ty

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1 *> E3I g -^v1 mPeg gy. oh. 2. What

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oh.

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*As performed: C(G).**As performed: FCC) is retained."As performed: Bb(F) is retained.

2. What will your mother think, pretty Peggy, oh?What will your mother think, pretty Peggy, oh?What will your mother think, when she hears the guineas clink,And the soldiers all marching before you, oh?

87

In a carriage you will ride, pretty Peggy, oh,

In a carriage you will ride, pretty Peggy, oh,

In a carriage you will ride, with your true love by your side

As fair as any maiden in the areo.

Come skipping down the stairs, pretty Peggy, oh,Come skipping down the stairs, pretty Peggy, oh,Come skipping down the stairs, combing back your yellow hair,And bid farewell to Sweet William, oh.

Sweet William is dead, pretty Peggy, oh,

Sweet William is dead, pretty Peggy, oh,

Sweet William is dead, and he died for a maid,

The fairest maid in the areo.

If ever I return, pretty Peggy, oh,

If ever I return, pretty Peggy, oh,

If ever I return, all your cities I will burn

Destroying all the ladies in the areo.

John RileyThe returning soldier or sailor who disguises himself in order to test hissweetheart's fidelity has long been a favorite theme with ballad singers.Of course, everything turns out happily when she proves true and hereveals his real identity to her. To prove his identity, the 'long lost lover'usually shows her one half of a token which they broke between themat his departure.

KEY: C MINOR CAPO: 3RD PLAY: A MINOR (LAWS N 42)

89

Lively, flowingDm(Am) Dm(Am)

t l J>J?..I:x

Fair young maid

m ffffp -a:M~a~

a

z A m~^::3 3 3 3*3*

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Dm(Am)

=lli m?all gar - den,

.

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T=T=

G(D) Dm(Am)

i^ iF(C) 3^f

C(G)

Said " Fair maid, will you mar - ry me?"

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r r

j- -

i=M

:

J J J I >J J

t~t90

Gm(Dm) Dm(Am)

=i 1? P "TT*-This then, sir,. was her re - ply.

II first awl others last O

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J J J-J I Ja:a. a. a _. * _:3 2 3 3 * f-n.

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"Oh, no, kind sir, I cannot marry thee,For I've a love who sails all on the se